Lately? Ha! There has always been many things wrong with people, it's just in this day and age we have far more people to have things wrong with them and an ability to share information that is magnitudes beyond anything that existed for the majority of human civilization. People only seem worse because of greater numbers and the ease in learning about the outrageous things they do. I assure you, the common man is the same as he's always been.

Tsukiyumi wrote:At least 100 years ago, the majority of truly stupid people weren't rewarded for their idiocy.

"Look ma! I'ma catch this rattler with mah bare hands!"

"OW!"

...and death.

To be fair, the majority of stupid people still aren't. Which is why it still counts as news when some fuckwit jumps off a dock, paralysis himself, and then sues the dock owner and wins. Most cases where someone was a legitimate dumbass and got hurt for it, get nothing but a court and lawyer fee for their trouble.

It's the news really that makes it look like that. Like you said Lighthawk majority of the cases are dismissed and obviously the news will not cover it.

As far as people doing stupid things are concerned like Jackass it's more of a free time thing. Doubtful many people did stupid things 100 years ago when they had to work 60+ hour work weeks to get food on the table.

"Don't underestimate the power of technobabble: the Federation can win anything﻿ with the sheer force of bullshit"

True. Also, to a certain extent, we as a species have "conquered" natural selection. Is an individual's eyesight worse than the norm? NP - get glasses, lenses, or LASIK. Born sickly, weak, or otherwise unable to cope with the same environmental pressures as the rest? NP - we have medical, prosthetic, and other technology and therapies to get past that. Just can't hunt or forage as well as the alphas? NP - just get over to the Piggly Wiggly and pick up all the meat you need.

I'm not saying that saving kids or helping the sick or disabled is bad, I'm just saying that it definitely affects the way that nature has thinned the heard for the entire history of ever. Back in the day, some guy jumps off the barn... well, if the fall didn't get him than the infection will, or the gangrene, or... Nowadays, we just patch him up and send him on his way to keep doing stupid shit AND pass along his stupid-shit-doing genome.

"We've been over this. We don't shoot first and ask questions later.""Of course! We never ask questions."

Mikey wrote:True. Also, to a certain extent, we as a species have "conquered" natural selection. Is an individual's eyesight worse than the norm? NP - get glasses, lenses, or LASIK. Born sickly, weak, or otherwise unable to cope with the same environmental pressures as the rest? NP - we have medical, prosthetic, and other technology and therapies to get past that. Just can't hunt or forage as well as the alphas? NP - just get over to the Piggly Wiggly and pick up all the meat you need.

I'm not saying that saving kids or helping the sick or disabled is bad, I'm just saying that it definitely affects the way that nature has thinned the heard for the entire history of ever. Back in the day, some guy jumps off the barn... well, if the fall didn't get him than the infection will, or the gangrene, or... Nowadays, we just patch him up and send him on his way to keep doing stupid shit AND pass along his stupid-shit-doing genome.

This is exactly my point. Only worded better.

There is only one way of avoiding the war – that is the overthrow of this society. However, as we are too weak for this task, the war is inevitable. -L. Trotsky, 1939